Quesada Selección España Petit Belicoso

This year Quesada Cigars continued with its limited edition Selección España program, this time with the special size being 4 1/2 x 40 Petit Belicoso. This is the third year that they’ve done this, with a slight tweak to the way that they’re released. Like last year, Quesada is selecting the retailers instead of using a lottery, but this year due to the smaller size of the cigar, the box is now a 100-count cabinet.

While the Selección España has three regular release sizes, the Petit Belicoso brings the limited releases to three and the overall count to seven.

Number of Cigars Released: 12 Boxes of 100 Cigars (1,200 Total Cigars)

Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Even as the fattest ring gauge of the limited release Selección Españas, it’s still quite a diminutive, appealing looking cigar. Sporting a gorgeous medium brown wrapper as well, the Petit Belicoso is definitely something that would catch my eye on a store shelf. Bringing the cigar to my nose, the aroma has a barnyard scent that’s heavy on the manure and hay notes with a touch of leather. The cold draw is creamy and slightly sweet with hints of toffee and a bit of spicy kick on lips and tip of my tongue.

The first third starts with a rich nuttiness, some leather and a touch of milk chocolate. Having taken off just a little of the pyramid cap the draw is right in the middle of the ideal range. The burn is fairly even right off the bat, despite not starting with the best light on my part. An inch in and the milk chocolate and nuttiness has grown, along an earthiness that adds to the richness of the profile.

Having quickly moved into the second third, the burn continues to be nice and even while the ash is compact and held on to just before the second third started. The milk chocolate has moved into the background, while the earth, nuts and leather stay strong up front. Black pepper has shown up as well, though it’s very much a minor note. The burn has become a little ragged, though not enough to warrant a touch up.

A short 40 minutes later I’m already in the final third and the nutty note has almost turned into a specific hazelnut. The burn has gotten a bit ragged and needs a quick touch up. The pepper has ramped up a bit as well, and unfortunately a bit of bitterness joins the profile. There’s still plenty of earthy and nutty notes up front however. Before I know it the cigar is at its nub and I’m forced to be put it down.

Just For Him owners Christian and Jessica Hutson have been said to have been large influences in getting the cigar into the United States when it was originally only slated to be sold in Spain.

Sometimes it’s difficult to balance the main band on top of the secondary band to take the final picture, but Quesada made it easy with these since the bands are glued together. I’m assuming this happened because of the lack of real estate to place them, requiring them to basically be right on top of each other.

While the first two thirds of each sample performed mostly the same with a few variations, the final third was the same across all three samples. They all needed a few touch ups and developed a slightly bitter note in the profile.

Quesada Cigars advertises on halfwheel.

The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

Final smoking time averaged just under an hour.

Quesada Selección España Petit Belicoso

Brian Burt

February 15, 2015

86/10

I was pretty psyched to try these, as I absolutely loved the size and historically I’ve been a big fan of the Selección España line. As soon as I lit up the Petit Belicoso I was delighted with the profile and was thinking it might be my favorite of all the sizes. Unfortunately, it slowly dropped in enjoyment where the second third was good and the final third was okay. I still really enjoyed the cigar, and can absolutely suggest you try getting your hands on them. I’m hoping that a little rest will do these cigars some good, mellowing out the profile a bit and bringing the entire thing up to the deliciousness level that was the first third.

86Overall Score

I was pretty psyched to try these, as I absolutely loved the size and historically I’ve been a big fan of the Selección España line. As soon as I lit up the Petit Belicoso I was delighted with the profile and was thinking it might be my favorite of all the sizes. Unfortunately, it slowly dropped in enjoyment where the second third was good and the final third was okay. I still really enjoyed the cigar, and can absolutely suggest you try getting your hands on them. I’m hoping that a little rest will do these cigars some good, mellowing out the profile a bit and bringing the entire thing up to the deliciousness level that was the first third.

I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010 I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion. Besides my cigar hobby and job in the IT industry, my wife and I love traveling, trying new restaurants and relaxing at home with our two dogs.